Recently, a Redditor asked "What happened that time you saw the fury of a patient man?" and people quickly began sharing their personal stories.
"Beware the fury of a patient man."
Source can be found at the end of the article.
1/10. When I was in high school, an upperclassman at my all male student Catholic school followed a female teacher into the bathroom and pulled a knife on her. She started screaming. That was when the gentlest, most caring, teacher heard the scream, and rushed from his classroom straight into the women's restroom. He then clocked this kid across the face and dragged him out by his collar into the hall. Then he checked on traumatized female teacher. Later, he just went back to class and continued teaching as though nothing happened. Dude knows seven languages, has never dated anyone, and is a brilliant, always calm, man. People gained a lot of respect for him after that day.
-onlysoftcore
2/10. Gym class in high school. The quiet nerdy kid kept getting picked on during dodgeball. One jerk kept hitting him with balls even when he was already out. The quiet kid wasn't tiny, he was about average sized, maybe a little taller than average. He eventually lost his temper, ran across the court, and literally delivered a double-handed choke slam to the jerk. Being a bunch of teenage boys, we all cheered for him. He got suspended for three days but it was reduced to one day in-school after a bunch of us went to principal and explained the circumstances.
-BearyPotter
3/10. My dad was career Army as an Officer. I have always known him as a soft-spoken, kind, never gets angry kind of person. He rarely ever raises his voice that I know of. There is a law in the US that basically protects any service member nearing 20 years from being forced out so they can get full retirement benefits. One day he gets a call from his commanding general telling him that he is going to be forced out due to budget cuts army wide. He got up out of his seat and started yelling at the general on the phone that it was impossible due to the law since he was in the "safe zone". He started quoting section after section yelling at the general telling him he had messed up, and that it better be fixed.
A few days later my dad got a call again from the general, and the first thing the general said was "before you say anything, let me apologize for the other day, you where 100% correct". But budget cuts are budget cuts, and as soon as my dad hit 20 years he was retired.
-KillerAceUSAF
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4/10. I used to work as a shelf packer at a supermarket. Every few nights this couple would come in and without fail the girl with hair that was always somehow wet, would spend the entire time berating the guy. She would yell at him for anything he did "that's not the f**king laundry powder we get you idiot", "bring the trolley over here f**kwit", "don't move the trolley, I'm only getting one thing and then coming back. You're such a moron". If she wasn't finding little things to yell at him about she would just attack him personally, call him worthless, weak, stupid, etc. You would be able to hear her high pitch grating voice no matter where you were in the store. I never heard this guy say a word. He just kept pushing that trolley with a dead inside look and a 1000 yard stare. I had dreams about just whispering to him "I'll distract her, just run man, run".
Anyway, I've been watching this for about a year and one day she's laying into him and he's just pushing that trolley looking dead inside and she tells "you're a nothing, a f**king nothing". He just stops, looks at her and talks to her like he's channeling Clint Eastwood "Well then what are you if the best you can get is a nothing" He lets that sit for a second then says "you're less than nothing, now be quiet". Dude then keeps pushing that trolley leaving the woman standing there dumbfounded. It made me so happy.
-Gregjoe88
5/10. A teacher once made fun of my brother and implied that he was not intelligent in a really mean way, (He was in 5th grade and in Honors classes, but the teacher had a reputation for being mean to kids and have very little patience) in front of his peers. The thing is, she did this while my dad worked at its sister school down the hall. So instead of telling my dad that he was struggling, she said so in front of his friends. My dad is a calm catholic man who doesn't smoke, or drink. My dad has been working as an English teacher for 20 years, so lets just say he has a way with words.
When he found out he went straight to her while my brother and I waited in the hall way. We heard no shouting, screaming, or bickering, but half way through we heard sobbing (like a close friend just died kind of sobbing). When my dad left the room to take us home I caught a glimpse of the woman. She sat in her chair with her elbows on her desk, tears rolling down he face. She looked somehow pale and cherry red at the same time. She had the face of a woman who had been told she had messed up beyond her understanding.
She was fired the next day.
My dad just smiles when we ask him what he said to her all those years ago.
-PooSoupGoop
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6/10. Working in an auto parts warehouse, one of our managers was a very quiet, collected person. One particular day some of the orders were wrong and the ordering system was malfunctioning. He calmly goes out back, starts up a forklift and rams it full speed at a huge stack of wood pallets. He must have thrown it in reverse and repeated this about a dozen times, raising and lowering the forks appropriately. Everyone stopped working to watch as every last pallet was destroyed. When there was only a pile of wood scraps left he turned off the lift and calmly walked back in and continued working as if nothing happened.
-MorningPhlegm
7/10. My dad has the patience of a saint. You never see him get angry or pissed off. He's quiet, calm and so laid back. Pretty much like me. Even when we were kids he never gave us a telling off at all, it was always Mums job as she was strict.
Anyway, we were at the dinner table and me and my siblings were all bickering, not sure about what. All of a sudden my dad slams his fists on the table and shouts "Shut up". We all put out heads down in shock, as we never experienced this before.
One by one, we started to giggle, even our mum started giggling. We looking over to my dad who was looking down at his plate, and all we could see was his shoulders going up and down, and of course he just burst out laughing.
I think he shocked himself that day. But no one could take it seriously!
-Chudboy
8/10. My FIL is such a patient man. He's quiet, reserved, has a great sense of humor (when my MIL lets him get any words in). My MIL talks. A lot. She will ask you questions and when you start to answer she talks over you and tries to answer them herself. It's infuriating and obnoxious.
One time she asked me a question and I started to answer her and she cut me off to basically finish my answer for me and starts to ask another question. Lather, rinse, repeat for about 4 questions.
Finally my patient, quiet, sits back and watches the world FIL just EXPLODES on her basically screaming at her.
"MIL! OH MY GOD! Let her actually ANSWER the question you asked! STOP interrupting!! You never let anyone finish their thought!"
It was glorious and I almost tackled him to hug him.
She still does it but that day was amazing.
-ImASubparCupcake
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9/10. My uncle is the most peaceful person I know. He's essentially a living version of what would happen if you combined Gen. Iroh, Bob Ross, and Dr. Doolittle. He keeps a garden. Feeds wild birds out of the palm of his hand. Has been known to just walk up to a deer without it running away. I've never heard him raise his voice except to talk to someone really far away in my entire life.
He was in the military during Vietnam. Not sure what branch. He never saw a combat zone; he was the guy who fixed stuff that came back from a combat zone.
The war ends. He goes home and returns to his normal life working at a tire factory. One night he's getting off of a hard day at work and wants a drink, so he goes to the local bar. Three guys are standing outside talking amongst themselves and he goes to walk in, but they stop him.
He tells them he doesn't want any trouble; he's just had a stressful day at work and wants to grab a drink. They go back and forth for a while and eventually he just pushes past them to get in. They didn't like that and pulled him back, where he proceeded to knock one unconscious and floor another. The third backed off and let him inside. By the time he'd left, they were nowhere to be seen.
-bxtk
10/10. My grandfather is a nice, funny, flirty guy. Was an exec at a manufacturing business after being the third employee. Everyone gets along with him, and he was fairly well off in my small town.
One day my cousin and I are helping him with some work, and we go to the store. There is a lot of poverty in my home town and one of the poorer families was at the store. My cousin makes some comment about them being poor and what were they doing at the store because they couldn't buy anything or something along those lines. My nice grandfather grabs him and slams him against a wall and says, "Nothing in your life makes you better than them. Right now, I'd rather have them by me than you." He then makes my cousin go apologize and my grandfather announces my cousin will pay for whatever they re getting. He makes my cousin work off the expenses for him to prove a lesson and now that cousin is a stand-up social worker specializing in poverty, abuse, and rehabilitation.
Only time I have ever seen my grandfather be aggressive.
-nocthermal
(Source)
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.